Marco Pappa joins Guatemala ahead of Paraguay friendly

The Chicago Fire announced Monday that midfielder Marco Pappa has been allowed to join the Guatemalan national team for Wednesday’s friendly vs. Paraguay in Guatemala City. The call-up had earlier been in question as the match did not fall on a FIFA international date.

The veteran of 24 international caps for los Chapines, Pappa departed for Guatemala early Monday morning and will train with Ever Hugo Almeida’s side this week ahead of Wednesday’s encounter. He'll re-join the Fire on Thursday as the team prepares for a rematch of the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final vs. the Seattle Sounders, Saturday night at Toyota Park.